* Contract would have been biggest overseas construction
deal for Chinese firm
(Updates with CRCC statement)

SHANGHAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - State-backed China Railway
Construction Corp (CRCC) said it plans to
seek compensation from the government of Mexico after it
scrapped a $3.75 billion high-speed rail project the company was
bidding for.

The company did not say how much it was seeking, but this is
the second time Mexico has shelved the project. A consortium led
by CRCC had been the only bidder for an earlier tender, but
Mexico cancelled it late last year due to conflict-of-interest
concerns about a local company.

Mexico relaunched the tender last month, and sources had
told Reuters that CRCC was poised to clinch the deal.
The government, however, said on Saturday it had
scrapped the project altogether due to budget cuts.

The Chinese government has been working hard to export its
high-speed technology abroad after building the world's longest
rail network in a decade. The Mexican contract would have been
the largest single overseas construction deal won by a Chinese
firm.

CRCC said late on Monday the project was a "single special
case" whose suspension would not impact its overseas activities.

The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top
economic planning agency, in a separate statement, also urged
Mexico to "properly deal with the huge manpower and money
Chinese enterprises invested in the project bid".
(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Stephen Coates and Miral
Fahmy)